t h e m a y f i l e s is foremost a family blog, chronicling everyday life. Life including natural, healthy eating (with recipes thrown in at random), home educating (with ideas popping up sporadically), an attempt to homestead on .2 acres (with very meager yields), raising 3 of 4 children with a rare genetic disorder, and lots of highly personal family triumphs and failures. You may also find an eclectic array of musings on politics, exercise, sewing, emergency preparedness, backyard chickens, and religion. This blog isn't a campaign to glorify anyone or anything. Just simply a record.

3.13.2011

Ellery and our little next door neighbor Koy sang in church today. It was so sweet. They both are so confident and poised. I was blown away. Koy's mom Jessie played the piano. We shot this video afterwards, since it wasn't appropriate to film during Sacrament Meeting.

3.11.2011

I'm guessing many mothers out there would agree that making dinner can be the toughest time of the day. It usually rolls around from about 3:30 - 5:00 pm. This is just the time mom and kids are worn down. Yesterday, Berkeley was having an especially cranky time so I sat her on the counter next to me. Several minutes past and I thought, huh, she is really quiet. I look over to see this....

Apparently she located the bread bag and was tickled pink with the results. It gave me a full 20 minutes of uninterrupted prep time

3.04.2011

3.03.2011

Ellery participated in her first piano competition the weekend before we left for Hawaii. She was very diligent in her preparation, despite so many health issues the last 7 months. Her performance was fantastic. I still can't get over how composed she before and during performing. I feel like a nervous wreck and she is as calm as a little flower.

We left all pianos behind on our 2 weeks away, so the recital she had last weekend was a little rusty, but she still did wonderful.

I am amazed at the psychology Carol, her teacher, uses to build confidence in her students. She treats them as mature and accomplished musicians. Ellery's next recital piece is a concerto. Her teacher says "concerto" with such reverence and gusto all at once, it is hard not to catch the contagion. It has 18 pages. Ellery's comment to me in the car as we left her piano lesson: "Mom I just can't believe it, I just keep thinking I am teenager. It is almost like I am a mom. I just can't believe a little girl like me is playing an 18 page piece."

Ellery's teacher makes her feel she is so advanced and so brilliantly musical. I love it!